As part of our Spring Training preview, we will be highlighting each unit of the Pittsburgh Pirates, spotlighting what they might be working on as they get ready to face the rigors of the Major League Baseball season. In part one we focused on what the starting rotation should work on. Now, the outfielders get their turn.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have arguably the best young outfield in baseball.
Gregory Polanco, Starling Marte and Andrew McCutchen combined for 12.9 WAR (wins above replacement) last season, showing an electric mix of run production, impressive defensive abilities and blinding basepath speed.
As they prepare for 2016, here’s a quick look on how this trio can be even better this season.
For Andrew McCutchen, his focus may likely be on a better start. For his career, McCutchen “struggles” in April. His career batting line of .260/.345/.419 in the season’s early days would be welcomed by many players, yet for the 2013 NL MVP, it is a notch below what he is accustomed to. Last year saw a lingering knee injury take the blame, yet for 2016 McCutchen will likely look to have a better start. It will be interesting to monitor Clint Hurdle’s planned work load for his star center fielder, as lighter work days in previous springs may have contributed to the slow starts.
In Starling Marte, the Pirates have a budding superstar who figures to take a huge leap forward. Marte lowered his strikeout rate by over five percent (26.2 to 20.9) year-over-year from 2014 to 2015, yet his walk rate remained stagnant at 4.2 percent. For Marte to reach McCutchen-levels of productivity, being a bit more selective would be a great place to start. The issue of low walk rates is not isolated to Marte – only McCutchen, Francisco Cervelli and Gregory Polanco had walk rates above 8 percent in 2015 – but for a player counted on to make up for runs lost from Pedro Alvarez and Neil Walker, anything that can be done to see better pitches should be a priority.
Gregory Polanco is being labelled as an “X-Factor” for the 2016 Pirates, and with good reason. In his first full major league season, Polanco impressed on the basepaths and in right field. His ability to drive the ball impressed as well. In slugging 35 doubles to go along with six triples, Polanco showed a maturation process that may be ahead of schedule for the 24-year-old. In concentrating on identifying pitches that he can drive, Polanco can also naturally develop his power stroke. “El Coffee” will also need to guard against the occasional defensive lapse along Clemente’s wall,
Tune in next week as we turn our attention to what the Pirates bullpen will need to do to get ready for 2016.
